Letters to the editor

More Bowing to Beijing

Harvey Feldman

Saturday, January 17, 2004

Kenneth Lieberthal [op-ed, Jan. 8] condemns a proposed referendum in
Taiwan that would object to China's aiming of 500 or so missiles at
the island republic. But apparently he has no objection to the
missiles themselves.

In fact, Lieberthal argues that we -- and Taiwan -- must accept
Beijing's missiles and other warlike preparations as "facts on
the ground," and adjust our own policies so as not to tempt China
into using that muscle against Taiwan. To accomplish this, we must
simply tell Taiwan to knock it off, because holding a referendum
objecting to China's policies could anger its leaders (and lead them
to actually fire those missiles).

Interestingly, Lieberthal never mentions the Taiwan Relations Act,
which states that military coercion against Taiwan would be regarded
as a "threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific
area" and a matter of "grave concern to the United States."
But this tracks with Lieberthal's view that U.S. policy must take
account of Chinese sensibilities -- and, of course, force Taiwan to do
the same. Yet there is no parallel need on Beijing's part.

Lieberthal also objects, as does the leadership in Beijing, to the
fact that on Taiwan both the governing and the opposition parties are
considering a new constitution, to be presented for popular approval
in 2008. This would replace the present document, imposed by Chiang
Kai-shek in 1947 when he still ruled mainland China. Chiang took that
constitution with him when he moved to Taiwan in 1949, after losing
the mainland to Mao Zedong. It formally proclaims the government of
the Republic of China (still Taiwan's formal name) as the government
of all of China, including Mongolia and Tibet.

Lieberthal fears that a new constitution written on Taiwan would
acknowledge that the government in Taipei does not rule Shanghai or
Chungking but rules Taiwan. In the strange world of Chinese politics
and China-watching, this is the no-no of all no-no's. Why? Because it
would make clear that just as the government in Taipei does not rule
mainland China, the government in Beijing does not rule Taiwan. For
Lieberthal, when Beijing takes a stand on an issue, rattles its sabers
and adds to its naval and missile forces, it is up to the United
States -- as the old imperial edicts used to put it -- to "tremble
and obey."

-- Harvey Feldman

The writer is a former ambassador and alternate representative
to the United Nations. He is a senior fellow in the Asian Studies
Center of the Heritage Foundation.